Breaking down MSP's Civil Asset Forfeiture report: What was taken, why, and how it was spent

Evidence seized by police in a lengthy investigating into cocaine and heroin distribution in Grand Rapids. (U.S. District Court records)

The Michigan State Police's 25th Asset Forfeiture Report for 2017 details the assets seized during an investigation into violation of four specific laws, and what became of the proceeds of those assets.

This report is the second filed after lawmakers passed The Uniform Forfeiture Reporting Act, which became effective in 2016.

Below is a breakdown of the various aspects of the reporting, including what laws were violated to enable forfeiture, where the proceeds were spent and whether or not a search warrant was used or a conviction was reached in the course of the investigation.

The violated laws that allowed for seizures

Police agencies are allowed to permanently seize assets that are related to a criminal investigation that violates four laws: Public Health Code (Controlled Substances), Identity theft, Public Nuisance and violations of the Omnibus Act.

Investigations that led to seizures were predominately for controlled substances. Below is a chart outlining the laws and forfeiture numbers for 2017.

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Slicing up those laws reveals it's predominantly about drugs

When it comes to the kind of case that brought police to investigate, the predominate crime was, in both 2017 and 2016, drugs. Violations of the Public Health Code as it relates to controlled substances made up more than 83% of all instances of forfeiture last year.

Below is a searchable database tracking all of the crimes that caused a seizure. Each category below is a broad subset of numerous specific violations that can result in assets being seized.